Kolkata: Sudden and sharp showers have caught idol-makers in Kumartuli off guard, forcing them to scramble to protect Durga idols at a time when work has entered its final and most crucial stage, with deliveries to puja committees just days away.Though the artisans were able to speed up their work after a brief dry spell recently, they were again compelled to cover their idols amid the sudden downpour on Sunday. This came at a time when the artisans were drying the paint applied on the idols artificially, using pedestal fans and blow torches.“Many man-days were lost due to rain in Aug and Sept, when we had to stop work and shift idols to safety. But when the weather cleared in the last week of Sept, we resumed work and thought that it might not rain any longer. But the sudden and localised showers have caught us off guard. The shower on Sunday afternoon was brief but intense, and we had to scurry for cover,” said Kartik Pal, a Kumartuli idol-maker.The latest disruption comes at a particularly difficult stage of idol-making. Most artisans have moved on from the basic clay work and are now painting the idols, adding accessories and completing the finishing touches. They were working longer hours and keeping idols out in the open to speed up the finishing touches. With puja beginning in the second week of Oct, the time for completing the remaining work is passing away.“We have to deliver the idols in the next few days. But we had to cover our work areas and use blow torches to dry the paint due to the sudden rain,” said China Pal, a woman idol-maker in Kumartuli. Puja committees are also keeping artisans on their edge to meet the deadline. “We will keep the area covered as it might rain anytime,” said another artisan.
